Kate Beckett  Try for Baby
by nikkirose4027
Summary: An invitation to dinner over at Castle's place leads Beckett to discover some secrets on his laptop. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this plot has been simmering in my brain since July, and I finally got the opportunity to take a shot at it. The summary kinda sucks, but it has to be kind of vague so it doesn't give a major point in the story away. Although, if you understood the title, you would definitely recognize where this is going.**

**Summary: An invitation to dinner over at Castle's place leads Beckett to discover some secrets on his laptop. **

**Disclaimer: Although my name IS Nikki, I have no real affiliation with Andrew Marlowe and his fantastic series.**

The elevator ride up to the penthouse level seemed longer than usual. I rocked back and forth on my five inch heels in anticipation. Maybe it was just my dread of finally reaching the top screwing with my brain just to torture me. Before I could figure out a definite answer, the familiar ding signaled the door opening.

I still do not know why I had agreed to dinner with Castle. He had managed to convince me that I probably had nothing to eat in my apartment, which I really didn't. But it's not like I can't take care of myself.

I exited the elevator and walked over to the door of Castle's loft. I stared at the door for a good two minutes before I even thought about knocking. That humorous sense of dread came back. Or maybe it wasn't dread. It was beginning to feel a lot like butterflies, which was even worse.

Okay, I am not a teenage girl. I am a strong, independent, and emotionally sound detective. I can handle dinner with my partner.

Before I could regret it, I raised my arm and knocked on the door three times.

I was greeted with silence. I checked the time on my dad's watch. It was 8:00, exactly when he had said to come. Knowing Castle he would have opened the door by then, or at least called out to her that it was open. Jumping to worse case scenarios, my heart began to race. But before I could lose control, I calmed down and knocked on the door again.

Again, nothing. I called out this time.

"Castle? You in there?" I was surprised at the concern in my voice.

The lack of response triggered the cop in me. I cautiously tried the door handle. It was unlocked. Extremely concerned, I pulled out my gun and entered the apartment quietly.

The place looked clean, no signs of a struggle or anything. With a quick glance into the kitchen, I noticed a large stainless steel pot on the stove that seemed to be on a low heat setting. I could smell the food now too, it was chili. Ignoring the grumbling in my stomach, I continued to search the loft, my gun still poised in front of me.

"Anybody in here?" I called up the stairs. Maybe Alexis or Martha was here and they just couldn't hear the door from their rooms. When I got no response, I turned my attention toward Castle's study.

I saw a glimpse of someone sitting in the desk chair through the bookcase on either side of the door, but I couldn't tell who it was. I tiptoed quickly and stood in front of the door. Maybe it was Castle, maybe it was a murderer. Fearing for my partner's safety, I opened the door suddenly, my gun pointing at the chair. Whoever was in the chair leapt up immediately.

"BECKETT? WHAT THE HELL?"

I had opened the door to reveal a very scared Castle with headphones in his ears, his hands up, and a white panicked look on his handsome face. Immediately I lowered my gun.

"What the hell, Castle? I knocked twice and even called out!"

He gave an uneasy smirk as he pulled the headphones out of his ears. "Sorry, I lost track of time."

But, I wouldn't back down so easily, "Well, what in the hell were you doing anyway?"

The way he looked guiltily back down at his laptop screen was making me nervous and uncomfortable.

"Really, Castle? _Reall_y?"

He seemed to understand what I was implying he had been watching, and he quickly denied it, "No! No, it's not what it looks like!" He had lowered his hands to rest on the top of the laptop to close it.

I cocked my eyebrow. Yeah, like I was going to believe him with that extremely embarrassed and shameful face.

"Then let me see the screen." I challenged. As expected, Castle lowered the screen even more and shook his head.

"It's not… porn, Kate." My demeanor softened a tiny bit as he used my first name. He had now fully closed the laptop. "I just… you can't see it."

Now I was intrigued. Was he planning a surprise party or something? What was causing him to be so secretive?

I sighed in mock frustration. I would get him. "Fine. Anyway, I'm starving. Are we going to eat or keep playing this pointless little game?"

He nodded and walked over toward me and the door. I turned as he began leading me out of the room with his hand on the small of my back. He wasn't necessarily pushing me, but urging me forward nonetheless. I smirked at his eagerness.

Quickly, to catch him off guard, I whipped his arm over my head and ran back to his laptop. "Aha!" I exclaimed in victory as I sat in the chair before he had even turned around, bewildered.

"NO! Beckett, please don't! You'll kill me!"

Unaffected by his pleas, I had already opened the laptop. Surprisingly, no videos or web browsers were open. The only thing on the screen was a loading screen for a Sims video game. It read, "Loading the Castle family…"

I looked at him in disbelief. "A game, Castle? You were afraid of me seeing a _game_?"

He laughed nervously and had his hand on the back of the laptop, ready to close it as soon as I moved my fingers. "Heh, yeah! A game! Now, come on, Beckett! Let me close it."

"Why? I want to see what it's about. It sounds very interesting." Not that I really gave a damn, I just wanted to see him be nervous for a bit longer. But I was also kind of interested in why he didn't want me to see it so badly.

Castle looked back at the screen; the loading bar was almost full. In a nervous voice, Castle responded. "Oh it's not fun at all; it's not your thing. Will you move your fingers? I don't want to crush them."

I purposefully kept them exactly where they were and changed the subject.

"Why would you need headphones for this game anyway? You were alone in the house." The load bar was now at ninety percent.

He ran his hand through his hair swiftly as he seemed to struggle with my question.

"I don't know. The sounds are better with headphones."

Content with his answer, I remained silent as the bar continued to fill up. Castle seemed to grow impatient and stole glances at both my face and the extremely close loading bar.

He grabbed my shoulder gently with his large warm hand. At the sudden contact I looked up at his eyes, which were pleading. "Kate, please. Forget about it."

At his soft words, I began to regret my prying. What was his business was his business. I nodded silently, not wanting to cause him anymore grief over this. I got up from the chair and stood eye to eye with him.

"I'm sorry, Castle." I tried to say it as sincere as possible.

His crinkly smile at my words made me feel a hundred times better. His hand was still on my shoulder. For the first time since before I knocked on the door, the butterflies conquered my stomach.

"It's okay, Kate. And I'm sorry I didn't come to the door when you knocked." He murmured.

I smiled kindly and went to go from behind the desk.

Suddenly a blast of cheesy music came from the headphones connected to the laptop. My immediate reaction was to look at the screen. I heard Castle swear quietly to himself.

The game seemed to be centered on a family. It was almost like a snapshot of daily life, in a house that resembled Castle's loft in ways like a similar layout and color scheme.

I saw a male character in a dress shirt and pants reading a book in the corner with his legs crossed. A teenage redheaded girl was at the bar of the kitchen, with a notebook open and a pen in hand.

I smiled at the familiar scene. "This is amazing, Castle. They really look like you and Alexis at your loft!" I looked up at him, and he had a tightlipped smile. He looked down and watched the scene cautiously.

Suddenly a police car drove up to the street. Castle gasped, in what seemed to be disbelief. Before I could ask what his problem was, an information bubble came up in the top right corner of the screen.

**Kate Castle has returned from work.**

Sure enough, a character that resembled me appeared out of the car. My mouth hung open as I turned to stare at Rick, who simply whispered, "I told you…"

In the corner of the screen, the "Rick Castle" closed his book and set it on the table. He ran to the doorway and out onto the porch of the house. He sprinted in front of Kate and an action appeared in the corner. It said, "Greet Kate".

Suddenly both characters reached for each other and shared a passionate kiss.

A blush rose up in my cheeks and I glared at a wide eyed Castle.

"What in the hell is this?"

**TBC**

**A/N: Don't worry, I know where this is going. I promise I will never abandon this story.**

**So, yeah… there's this pretty link beneath where I'm writing… maybe you should click on it and tell me what you think? I would be eternally grateful!**

**~ Nikki**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I love you all so much. Really, I do. I would have been happy to get 10 story alerts, but NO, I got 60! And your reviews really got me inspired, and I am so glad you guys like my idea. I'm filling up here. *tears***

**Anyway, I just wanted to point out that Castle is using Sims 2, not Sims 3. Personally, I really don't like Sims 3, and the layout of Sims 2 is a hell of a lot more easy to explain. I just don't want to get angry comments from actual Sims players. XD Well, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, right.**

Chapter 2

Castle seemed to be scrambling for an answer as their virtual counterparts ended their kiss. As soon as they parted, both 'Rick' and 'Kate' sighed and put their hands over their hearts. Oh, brother.

He ended up simply smiling and said, "Well, yeah. My character decided to marry yours, Kate. It happens sometimes." By his shifting eyes, I knew he knew what he was saying was bullshit.

"Oh, really? And how did this just… come to be?"

"I… uh… it's a long story."

I continued to glare at him, my cheeks still blazing with a god awful blush. This game made me feel violated. "I think I can keep up. Spill." I somehow managed to keep my voice even.

His cheeks began to flare crimson. "It happened on its own!"

Oh, wow. I spun the chair to face him directly. "Do you really expect me to believe that, Castle?"

His brow furrowed and he said, exasperated, "Yes! I left the game open for an hour and they had already met, fallen in love, and married each other! I did nothing to speed that along!" Micro expressions of guilt ran across his face as we both looked at the screen.

I laughed coldly. "You are SO lying!"

"I am not!"

I dropped the subject as the action continued. Both 'Rick' and 'Kate' were entering the house now. 'Rick' went back to the table, grabbed the virtual book and went back to reading. 'Kate' went over to the guitar and starting playing it, music notes springing from her fingers on the guitar. A blue bar had appeared above her head.

"Well, why aren't they divorced yet?" I challenged, with a smirk.

A smug smile ran from ear to ear on the writer's face. "Well, I guess, she just finds him irresistible." He gestured back at the screen. "Isn't he so ruggedly handsome?"

I scoffed while attempting and failing to hide the new shades of red betraying me.

_Well, of course you are… Wait a minute. Stop thinking like that immediately. Now is not the time for that._

I made a show of looking at the fake Castle. "Oh, sure. What a sexy fake man." I deadpanned.

He frowned at my dry humor. "Haha, you are so funny." He chuckled darkly.

Suddenly, a rapid change of events was unfolding on the screen. The camera zeroed in on Kate's character and she had stopped playing the guitar. An icon of a toilet appeared in the upper left hand corner.

I cocked my eyebrow at Castle again. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

Suddenly 'Kate Castle' ran into the bathroom. She stood still in front of the toilet, and then kneeled down and puked green vomit into it. My eyes widened in horror.

"That was attractive." I responded, snickering. Bleh. "Now what does THAT mean?"

Castle at first didn't answer, but stared back at the screen. "You may have the stomach flu. Alexis got it once after eating rotten food."

I gasped in mock horror. "You let Alexis eat rotten food?"

"I had left it on fast-forward for too long, and I didn't see the green smoke over the plate of spaghetti." He grasped his chest. "I know. I am a terrible parent. She actually had to miss two days of pretend school in a row."

"The world may just end." I continued.

We both chuckled and continued to watch.

Wait a minute. What happened to my disagreeing and hating this prospect? Castle had made a fictional version of me that was _married_ to his, and I was okay with this, and actually interested in watching it?

What the hell was wrong with me?

In response to my inner pondering, I continued the conversation that was interrupted earlier. "So how did it only take an hour for them to go from complete strangers to living together and married?"

Castle groaned, and kneeled down to get closer to the screen. His closer proximity set my stomach uneasy, but he didn't need to know that. "See the day timer down at the bottom?"

In the menu that stretched along the bottom, there was a timer that resembled a day counter. "Yeah, I see it."

"Well, every second in real time is approximately a minute in Sim time. So when I spent an hour away, it was about 60 hours of time that lapsed. Actually, I did have it on two times fast-forward, so it was more like 120 hours."

I did the calculations in my head. "Still, Castle, that's only 5 days."

He shrugged. "The heart wants what the heart wants." I bit my lip and looked away in response. "Besides, Beckett, Sim years are different too. My character only has 26 more days of being an adult."

I furrowed my brow in frustration. To prove his point, he had pointed the mouse at the life stages at the bottom. Sure enough, when he dragged the mouse over the bar, it read '26 Days until Elder'.

"That's just weird."

He chuckled. "That's just how it works, Kate." He looked dramatically into the distance. "Sims just tries to make you understand how life is so short, and you have to make the best of it."

I rolled my eyes. "I think it's just saying you're old, Rick."

Rick? Now it was Rick? I need to calm down.

"Meanie." He mumbled. I snickered and continued to watch the fictional version of me. At least, I hoped was fictional.

'Kate' was now clutching her stomach and swaying from side to side. She was still in the stylish bathroom, and she looked awful.

Castle stared intently at the screen. "That's really odd."

"What?" I looked closer. Was there a glitch or something that was causing it?

"There is no information bubble. When Alexis got sick, there was a bubble saying she needed rest and so on. Why has it not come up yet?" He seemed very confused as he looked over at me.

"I don't know, Castle." I swiveled in the chair a little. "This is the first time I've even seen this game. Maybe it's your laptop having issues with the graphics."

He petted the keyboard lovingly and I smirked. "Don't insult my computer. It runs perfectly fine."

We both looked at 'Kate Castle' in curiosity. What else could make her respond that way?

Suddenly the camera focused in on her again, but she was facing the other way. She waved her hand and spouted some gibberish. She turned around real quickly and different clothes appeared on her body. They looked like ugly, but comfortable clothes.

"What is happen-" The action continued before I could finish.

A bouncing sound sent the fictional version of me back a step. Suddenly she was clutching her stomach in a different way, and not swaying side to side in pain.

"Castle, what happened?"

Before he could respond, I moved the mouse to look at 'Kate' from a profile view.

There was something wrong with her stomach alright. The 'Kate' in the game was now caressing an extended abdomen.

"Oh shit." I heard next to me. He looked nearly as surprised and embarrassed as I was, with his hand covering his mouth in disbelief.

"Richard Castle, does that mean what I think it means?"

**TBC**

**HAHA! I know, another cliffhanger. But seriously, I updated pretty early for someone like me. I deserve to torture you. XD (Maybe not but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)**

**Thank you again for all the wonderful comments and alerts you guys put on this story. I would love to hear if you liked this chapter or not, so send me a message! :)**

**~Nikki**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M BACK! And it's only been a day and some change! Believe me, it was you guys who inspired me to write more today. Every time I get an email saying I have a review or one of the 105(iloveyouallsomuch)story alerts I got, I danced and got inspired again. I love this fandom with a passion, you guys are so supportive!**

**Anyway, I think this chapter turned out pretty okay. It IS less funny than the other two, but don't worry. I got humor stored up and ready to use, if you want another chapter of this stuff. XD Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. BUT, according to castlesays on Tumblr I use the same conditioner as Kate Beckett. So, it's a start.**

Chapter 3

Castle kept his mouth shut, refusing to respond to my question.

"Answer me, Castle!" I demanded, trying my best to glare right into his soul. He sighed.

"Yes…" He was beet red in embarrassment. It served him right!

I couldn't believe it. 'I' was pregnant. With, I assumed, Castle's kid. Suddenly I was taken back to Madison's interrogation a couple years ago. "_You want to make little Castle babies!" _Well, congratulations, Maddie, it was coming true.

Wait, no it wasn't! Get your head back in the game, Kate. This is just one of Castle's fantasies! Wait, did Castle really fantasize about us? Getting married and pregnant? The possible realization hit me like a freight train, and gave me the butterflies again.

But it still didn't mean I did not feel violated by this fictional version of Castle.

'Kate' in the game ran out of the bathroom in her ugly new clothes and recently unflattering figure and went up to 'Rick'. An action bubble appeared in the corner with a still picture of 'Rick's' face. It said, "Inform about pregnancy".

"Castle." I tried to stay as calm as possible.

"Mmhmm?" He murmured, cautiously. He kept looking at me like I was going to spontaneously combust at any moment. It gave me great pleasure to understand how much power I really had over him.

"Was that just a coincidence?"

He seemed a little relieved that I was not yelling at him, just yet, and he shrugged. "I think so. They don't get pregnant every time they have-"He stopped suddenly, grimacing at what he just admitted.

"Excuse me?" my eyes were as wide as saucers, "You want to run that by me again?"

"Never mind." He said, hurriedly.

A burst of happy sound came from the computer and stopped me from tearing his ear off.

'Rick' was smiling and looking down at the tummy of 'Kate'. He looked extremely happy, and the thought bubble above his head was filled with an image of Kate, and hearts floated around it like butterflies.

Castle pressed a couple controls on the keyboard quickly during the scene, causing a red box to surround the screen and a ticking noise. Before I could ask what he had just done, 'Rick' knelt down and played Peek-a-boo with 'Kate's' belly.

Despite the fact that they were just pixel versions of us, my heart melted at the accuracy of 'Rick's' personality. It was such a Castle thing for him to do, playing with the baby before it was even born.

And it was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.

I saw Castle out of the corner of my eye, and he was wearing a content grin across his face as he looked at me. His beautiful blue eyes seemed to be smoldering with happiness.

I half-smiled back at him, but I brought up what we were discussing before the cuteness happened. "You are still not gonna get away with this one, Rick." I crossed my arms. "What did you mean by 'every time'?"

He cocked his eyebrow and his eyes had that familiar playful twinkle in them. He made his eyebrows waggle. "Well, Detective, we are _married. _It would be customary for us to have-"

All the we's and us's were giving me heart failure, so I interrupted him.

"Castle… Focus. They, not we. Last time I checked, WE were not married." I gestured inbetween us, but I tried not to meet his eyes as I corrected him.

"Well, you are still my work wife." His crooked grin was antagonizing the butterflies.

"No, I am not!" I responded adamantly. "Anyway, stop changing the subject."

"You changed it first." He mumbled and folded his arms.

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers and groaned. "_What does it eve_-oh, whatever."

He seemed content with my frustration, that jackass, and he continued to stare at me with a small arrogant smirk.

I rolled my eyes and continued."Anyway, so in the game, they actually…you know…"

"…have sex?" I whispered.

He appeared to look pleased at my squeamishness around the word. He nodded slowly.

What kind of a freaky game was this? And what was it rated?

He seemed distracted by my uneasiness, so I finally saw my opening to corner him. I raised my eyebrow. "Does it show it?" I asked, tentatively.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No! They are under a blanket and laughing the whole time."

"Oh…" I made myself seem curious and inquisitive, even though on the inside I was kind of grossed out that he would watch it. But I had another card to play. 'Rick' and 'Kate' were no longer moving in the scene.

I asked as humorous as possible. "Hey, they just found out about the baby. Shouldn't they be 'having relations' right now to celebrate?" I added a giggle and a 'hidden' hair twirl at the end for emphasis.

Castle chuckled, staring at the hand that was twirling a lock of my hair, and said, "No. You have to _make _them do something that specific."

And BAM, said the lady.

"Oh, you do, huh?" I replied, leaning back in the chair. As he looked back at me, I simply smiled in victory.

Then his covered his mouth in disbelief as what he had just said, and his ears were slowly turning red again. Through his hand, I heard him say, "Did I just...?"

"Yep, you kind of just did." I answered smugly.

Except, I didn't know why I responded that way. Why was I so obsessed to know if he had played a role in 'their' relationship? Was I just trying to prove that I was right? Or did I want him to have helped them? And what did that prove if he indeed had helped them? Did it prove that he wanted _me_? After the three months of not calling him, and not admitting what I had heard, did he still feel the same way as the day I was shot? Or was it too late for that?

All these questions made my head hurt.

Castle stared at me for a while. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but he swallowed deeply, which made me think he was nervous.

"I won't deny that one." He said with a straight face, no smugness, no humor.

My face grew hot at what he was implying. Not even implying, stating.

I couldn't meet his eye. I didn't want to talk about this anymore. Not here, not now.

_Then when? _

The voice in my head resounded. I shook it away.

"Kate?" Castle looked up at me with endearing and confused eyes. My heart soared.

I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. I pushed back from the desk and stood up.

Castle grabbed my hand and held it. "Please don't leave, Kate."

My wall crumbled, the concrete and metal running through it crushed by the gentleness of his hands clutching mine. I had made up my mind, and decided to relieve him of his stress.

"I'm not leaving." I smiled down at him and released my hand from his clutches. "I'm hungry, and that chili smells amazing."

A wave of relief seemed to crash through Castle's whole body. I didn't notice that he had been holding his breath until he finally released it on a sigh and laughed.

We exchanged a glance. He raised his eyebrows, as if to say, 'We WILL talk about this.'

And I made my eyes twinkle down at his, 'I know.'

"Okay, let's go eat." He stood up from being on his knees and winced in pain from kneeling for so long.

I bit back a smile. "You ok, over there?"

"Yeah, just not as young as I used to be." He lunged on both legs to stretch the muscles and loosen the tension.

I walked out the door in the direction of the living room. "26 days!" I shouted over my shoulder, laughing.

"Oh, shut up!"

**TBC**

**Thank you all for your amazing support for this story. If I could send you all a gift basket, believe me, I really would.**

**Sadly, I don't know if I will keep being able to update so quickly like this. I might, I might not. It all depends on how school is going. SO if you want to bug me, or if you just want to follow me, look me up on Tumblr. My blog is at www(dot)nikkicaskettlover(dot)tumblr(dot)com. I love getting messages. :)**

**Thank you for reading, please tell me if you liked it or not! Ciao!**

**~Nikki**


	4. Chapter 4

**I could give you the list of the stuff I had that kept me from updating for a week, but that would take up half of this fanfiction. Let's just say… life happened. But, I am keeping my promise, I am NOT abandoning this story. I made this chapter a little longer for your long wait. :)**

**Thank you for the feedback on the 3****rd**** chapter! I know that was a long time ago, but it really helped me get back in the groove again this weekend. I love you all! **

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own this show. But I would die if I could be a guest star on it. *faints at the idea***

Chapter 4

Castle grabbed two white porcelain bowls out of the cupboard when we reached the kitchen. I leaned against the kitchen island on my elbows, watching him move expertly through the kitchen.

"So, do you do all the cooking in the game too?" I asked suddenly.

Why on earth was I still talking about this? Why did this interest me so much? I need to settle down.

Castle looked back at me with an evil grin across his face. "Actually, no one in the game cooks."

My brow furrowed. "Well, that's not very lifelike. Everyone has to eat sometime."

"I put in a cheat so no one has to cook." He stated simply as he pulled the lid off of the monstrous chili pot. The condensation rolled off the clear lid and he set it down carefully to the side on a towel.

My mouth gaped open, both at what he said, and the divine smell that was coming from the pot. "You can cheat in that game?"

He looked back and smiled again. "Yes, of course. There are lots of cheats that I use on a regular basis."

"Like what?"

"Well, there is this long cheat I can input that unlocks a bunch of codes if I right click on certain objects or people in the game. If I right click on the mailbox and hit two buttons, "Make All Happy" and "Make Needs Static", they no longer get hungry; and not only that, but they never have the need to sleep, they never have to use the bathroom, and they never get dirty." He explained to me as he ladled chili into the two bowls. "It makes using the game a lot easier."

"Well, then, what is the point of playing? What do they do?" He handed me a bowl and a spoon and we both went to sit at the bar.

"Putting the cheats in allows them to do more fun things, and it also saves a lot of time."

I cocked my eyebrow. "What kind of fun things?" I asked suspiciously, thinking about the conversation earlier.

He smiled and shook his head. "How did I know you were going to put a nasty twist on that one?"

I smirked and stared down at my chili, trying to hide the light blush. "It's because I spend too much time with you and your constant innuendos."

He snickered and went to take the first bite of his chili, a big spoonful. I watched closely as his lips parted and consume the chili off the spoon. Those lips…

How did he manage to make eating chili sexy?

I looked away before he could notice me staring. Then I heard Castle whimpering.

I glanced back to see his face completely red, and fanning himself. I bit my lip in an attempt to keep the laughter from rising from my throat.

"Hot, Castle?" I smiled.

He swallowed the chili and took a couple deep breaths through his nose. He cocked his eyebrow and said.

"I am, but that's not the point." He succeeded in making my eyes roll.

"Is the _chili _hot, man-child?" I corrected myself, teasing him.

He nodded, still seeming to be recovering. "Mhmm. Temperature hot."

"Well, blow on it first." I regretted that as soon as I had uttered it.

He looked like he was going to make a comment, until he fully interpreted my 'don't-even-go-there' look. Instead he pouted and said.

"I'm not a baby. I know how to handle hot food."

I smiled at his stubbornness and took my first bite of the chili, _blowing on it first. _The mixture of beans, noodles, beef, and just the right spices tasted heavenly on my tongue. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I had taken that first bite.

An involuntary moan escaped my throat at the taste.

I heard Castle clear his throat next to me. When I looked over he was staring at my lips, his eyes glazed over with lust and dark with desire. My face grew hot, both from the still extremely hot chili and the attention Castle was showing my lips.

Instead of teasing him about it, I kept eating silently. Before long, Castle began to eat again too. I didn't look over, but I knew he kept glancing at me. We were both too embarrassed and probably too hungry to have a conversation.

That one bowl filled me up well, the heartiness of the chili coating the walls of my empty stomach. It was the first good meal I had had in about three days.

"Well, someone was hungry." The sudden voice of Castle shattered the silence of the past 10 minutes. I looked at him and he was smiling that special crinkly eyed grin that triggered an almost immediate mirror reaction from me.

I looked down at my empty bowl. "Yeah, that chili was amazing. Thank you, Castle."

"No problem." He took his bowl and my bowl in front of me and walked towards the sink.

I got up immediately and followed him. "Let me do that. You cooked."

He looked back at me with a mock disapproving look. "No! Guests don't get to clean."

I folded my arms and shook my head, smiling. "Fine, then what should I do?" True, the intent of my visit was just to eat, but I didn't want to leave yet. I did want to spend more time with him.

He gestured with his head towards the living room. "Go find something on TV and I'll meet you there when I'm done." He waggled his eyebrows. "I'll even bring wine."

I chuckled and walked toward the living room. "It better be good wine."

I heard him yell from the kitchen. "Do I ever disappoint?"

I smiled and sat on the couch. I grabbed the remote from the side table and began flipping channels. News, Cops, Judge Judy, Jeopardy, nothing really interesting. By the time Castle came in with the wine, I had already reached the movie channels.

"Anything good?" He asked as he handed me a full wine glass and sat down on the couch next to me. I could tell he wanted to sit closer, but he kept a safe distance probably for my sake.

"Nothing yet. Looking through the movies now." I took a sip of the white wine. It was a nice crisp Moscato, with just the right hint of sweetness I wanted.

"Is the wine to your satisfaction, milady?" He grinned as he saw me taking another longer sip from my glass.

I nodded and swirled it around. I turned back to the TV and it landed on another movie channel.

The feature movie was the Back-Up Plan.

"Oh, I love this movie!" Castle whispered.

A pregnant Jennifer Lopez was eating chili directly from the pot, and her ruggedly handsome love interest from Hawaii Five-Oh was commenting on her hunger.

We stayed silent, staring at the screen. Like clockwork, we both looked at each other with wide eyes. Castle began to smile, amused.

Pregnancy. Chili.

_Was God trying to mess with me?_

Without thinking, I turned off the TV suddenly.

"Don't. Say. Anything." I said, staring at the black TV screen.

I could still hear him snort under his breath. I shot a look sideways at him. "Don't."

"Come on, Beckett. You have to admit how hysterical that was!" He laughed, setting his glass down on the table.

"Not hysterical, weird. Just weird." I admitted. I rubbed my temples with my right forefinger and thumb. This fake pregnancy thing would not leave me alone!

"Hey!" Castle started. I opened my eyes to him standing up from the couch. "Let's go check and see how they are doing."

I groaned. "Why? That game is so weird!"

He offered me a hand to get up and pleaded. "C'mon Kate, it's fun! And I have to make the baby's room."

I looked into his eyes. He seemed convinced that because I hadn't wrung his neck for making pretend characters of us, that I approved of his fantasy manipulation. But he looked so excited, like he really was going to design a nursery.

This fatherly side of him warmed my heart and despite my best efforts at hiding it, I beamed up at him. "Well, if you are designing a room, you need a woman's touch. I don't want the kid to get scarred by the things you put in the room."

I smirked and stood without using his hand. His eyes gentled and we walked into the office together.

He gave me the chair and knelt down again by the desk. We opened the window to Sims, and looked at the 'Castle' family in action. 'Kate' was lying on the bed, reading a book calmly. 'Rick' was typing swiftly at the computer with a blue bar over his head, and a little icon at the side said that 'Alexis' was off at school.

The normalcy of the scene made my heart race. I looked closely at 'Kate's' stomach, and the bulge in the front looked a lot bigger. My brow furrowed as I looked down at the day counter. Only two days had passed since they had discovered her pregnancy.

"Well, that was quick." I said out loud. "I wish normal pregnancy was like that."

Rick chuckled. "Yes, for all parties included, that would be better."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Oh, you men. You guys think that the world is just SO out to get you when you have to deal with a pregnant woman. So weak."

Castle shuddered. "Most men don't have to deal with a pregnant Meredith for nine months. Hell. On. Earth." He emphasized every word. I snickered.

He then changed the subject. "Well, now that the baby is coming soon, we need to get designing."

I blushed at the intimacy of what he was saying, but hid it while moving out of the chair and teasing him. "Okay, Sims master. I will give your old bones the chair so you don't kill yourself."

He fake laughed, but took the chair anyway. "Very funny."

I stood behind him as he changed menus to edit the actual house. The whole planning looked very elaborate, lots of different tabs for different ways to decorate.

"Okay, this is the boring part, where I add onto the house."

I tried not to get distracted by his gorgeous hair in front of me, and watched as he made new walls and floor, making sure the outside of these walls matched the outside of the rest of the house.

When he finished, he glanced back at me. "What color should the walls be?"

"Blue." I said automatically, implying exactly what he thought I meant.

"A boy?" He smiled gently.

"Yeah, I just know." I smiled. I had the little voice of my wall inside telling me that I was taking this too seriously, but I didn't care. I was having fun.

He chose a lighter blue with a white border and covered the walls in it.

"Okay, so carpet or hardwood floors?"

At the same time, we both confirmed, "Carpet."

After trying to hide the blush, I picked the paw print carpet for the room.

Castle then entered the kid's room tab, where all the baby essentials seemed to be stashed. The different cribs, the baby changing stations, and the high chairs were all categorized together. After choosing the right blue ones, Castle went through all the toys.

"There are not many toys, so I guess we'll have to buy all of them." And he filled the room with xylophones, talking rabbit heads, toy blocks, and teddy bears.

"You loved buying toys for Alexis, didn't you?" I said softly in his ear.

He smiled and his eyes glazed over as he thought of the past. "Yeah. I went overboard like this too. I spent half of a book advance on her room." He chuckled.

He moved his head to give me a better look at the room. "Does it look okay?"

I looked at the filled room. Any kid would have been lucky to get that room, full of toys and all it needed. I smiled lovingly as my eyes glistened a little. "It's kind of perfect." I whispered.

He looked back up at me, that look of love back in his eyes. The look that took my breath away. I cleared my throat and tried to get his unwavering attention off of me. "Well, let's let them see it."

He chuckled and pressed the play button.

Suddenly both 'Rick' and 'Kate' got up from what they were doing and inspected the new room and all the new items in it. The way 'Kate' was waddling made both Castle and I laugh.

Our laughter was cut short as the camera focused in on 'Kate' again. I gasped and grabbed involuntarily to Castle's shoulder. I knew those camera zooms meant something was going to happen.

'Kate' raised her hand like she did before, but then she clutched her stomach, howling. 'Rick' turned to her and grabbed his head in exasperation, jumping up and down.

My heart was racing. What was wrong? I looked down at Castle and he was smiling from ear to ear.

"What, Castle?"

"It's starting, Kate."

**TBC**

**I AM UPDATING THIS TOMORROW. So do not panic! I will not take another week hiatus, especially on a cliffhanger like this.**

**Please leave a review! Or find me on tumblr and leave me a message! My tumblr name is the same as my username on here, nikkicaskettlover. Thank you for reading!**

**~Nikki**

**BTW, what other Back-Up Plan parallel do you think I am going to use next? :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aha! I did not fail you! I kept another promise. I am doing well with this whole promises thing. And it is also because of the monumental support you guys gave me yesterday! 11,000 hits! I love you guys!**

**The reviews really help too. It is so nice to see feedback on my work. Anyway, enjoy the new one! (Btw, I took some liberties with the Sims 2 system. I just needed some things to be a cliffhanger at the end. :D)**

**Disclaimer: Never have, probably never will.**

Chapter 5

My stomach fluttered at what Castle was implying.

"You mean she's…?" I didn't even have to answer, as 'Kate' stopped clutching her stomach.

A flashing action bubble in the middle of the screen stopped the game in its tracks. This one was different, with a blue background and bordered in children's toys.

It announced,

**There's a family member on the way! Please wait while the stork gets his bearings and unties those extra tight knots!**

I smiled warmly and chuckled at the lame stork joke.

"How in the hell could that happen so fast? She was only pregnant for two days!" I exclaimed.

Castle leaned back in the desk chair. "That is usually how long a Sims pregnancy can be. Time is essential."

I had to admit, I was pretty excited about the whole thing. True, I knew this was all fake, but the planning and waiting, not to mention doing it with Castle made it seem much more real.

Castle had gone still. He seemed pretty nervous about this, staring at the frozen screen in anticipation.

I looked at the corner of the screen, and chuckled.

"What?" Castle swiveled and looked at me.

"'Rick' is frozen with a funny face." And it was true. A scared 'Rick' in the corner was frozen holding his head, a very Castle like pose. Castle snorted a laugh too.

"I would be freaked out if I were him too." He looked at me and smiled evilly. I cocked my eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Why?"

"He has to deal with Kate Beckett, sorry, Castle, in labor. That must be hell." He smirked.

I slapped his upper arm. "She is not that bad! I bet she can handle situations like this like a pro. It would not be hell." I retorted, not able to meet his gaze. I was careful to use 'she' instead of 'I' so he wouldn't get the wrong idea, but knowing how unpredictable he could be I was still wary of his response.

He rubbed his bicep with a mock anguished face. "She would probably hit him like that, though. She has a tendency to hit people when they piss her off."

"Oh, shut up." That was my effective way to end the conversation.

Suddenly the bubble disappeared, and sparkles surrounded 'Kate' as she clutched her stomach. The music grew more epic, and she spun around and when she faced the camera again, she was holding a baby virtual person with a diaper in her arms.

I wanted to feel emotional about the baby. I really did. But I could not get over that birth. While Castle was gasping and 'awwing' at the screen, I snorted with laughter.

"I HOPE my labor is that!" I giggled. "That looked easy!"

Castle laughed with me. 'Kate' held the baby at arm's length, and then raised it up in the air, giggled up at it. Now was my heart's turn to melt. 'Rick' was cheering on the sidelines, while 'Kate' slowly rested the baby onto her arm.

Another bubble came up, with a script in it and a blinking cursor. All it said was,

**Baby Boy|**

A grin shot across my face. "Ha! I was right!"

Castle snickered. "Mother's intuition."

My face grew hot. That was not what I had been implying. Well, kind of.

"It was a lucky guess." Maybe I would succeed without blushing by downplaying the gender guessing. "Anyway, what should we name him?" Simply asking that question made me blush anyway, so my plan was shot to hell.

He breathed deeply. "That's a tough decision."

We sat in silence for a bit, neither one of us wanted to start.

"You go first." Castle said quickly.

I groaned and leaned against the desk. A boy's name. Hmm…

At first I went with middle names. "Alexander?" I said softly.

His eyes glanced up at me with a gentle smile, his blue eyes twinkling. However fake this kid is, I hope he got Castle's eyes.

He pondered that for a second, and then shook his head. "Nah, he doesn't look like an Alexander."

Up went my eyebrow. "You barely saw him for five seconds."

"I just know." He stated. I would have backfired with 'father's intuition', but he would have taken it seriously. And my heart did not need any more fluctuation then it had already experienced this evening.

"Anyway, your turn, Castle."

"Rick Jr.?" He responded quickly.

"No." I said firmly. That put my mind in the gutter, and I didn't want to think of that every time I saw my fictional son. I shuddered on the inside.

It was my turn again. Maybe he should have an exotic name. Not too weird, but different. I thought through all of the Russian and French names I could think of.

"What about Yves?" I thought out loud. I loved the way that one floated off my tongue.

My partner gave me a weird look. "Uh, no. How do you even spell that?" He asked incredulously. I smiled at his lack of culture.

"Y-v-e-s, you dumb cluck." I giggled again, the noise sounding unnatural to me.

His brow furrowed in what seemed to be deep concentration. "That is the weirdest spelling ever." He announced when he opened his eyes and looked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, your turn."

"Billy." He said even quicker than the first one.

This was getting annoying. "Castle, really? Stop with the stupid answers."

He shrugged. "I can't think of a good one! Those are the first ones that come to my mind."

I groaned in frustration. This was going to take forever at the pace we were going. I sat on the desk and stared at the offensive blinking cursor at the end of the name.

"Hmm." I heard Castle ponder, and looked over at him.

"Stroke of genius happened yet?"

"James."

The credible idea surprised me. That was faster than I thought it was going to be.

"James?" It was not even near anything we had discussed.

He nodded. "Yeah. Like your dad, Jim."

My heart leapt in my chest. This was beginning to feel more real than what was healthy for me. But, his considerate heart took me off guard, and my hand flew up to my chest involuntarily. I smiled warmly at him.

"Sure. James. That sounds perfect." My voice wavered with emotion.

Castle grasped my hand that was resting on the desk, and smiled up at me. It took everything in me not to grab him by the front of his shirt and kiss him senseless.

He cleared his throat, tearing me from my intense gaze at his lips. He removed his hand from on top of mine and placed both hands on the keyboard. He expertly typed…

**James|**

Into the script box. He chortled as he hit enter. "His middle name can be Tiberius."

I chuckled and watched the screen, as the script went away and revealed 'Kate' still holding 'James Castle'. A less pressing action bubble in the corner of the screen announced a welcome to the new family member, James.

'Kate' walked over to 'Rick' and stood in front of him, still carrying the baby while she walked. Castle and I watched in silence.

'Kate' handed 'Rick' the baby, and I noticed how gently he took the baby into his arm. I looked down at Castle's strong arms. How would he look, carrying a small baby like that with one arm? My face grew red as I looked back to the screen.

Suddenly, it froze again.

"What?" I heard Castle mumble under his breath. Then, that same blue window appeared across the screen… again.

**There's a family member on the way! Please wait while the stork gets his bearings and unties those extra tight knots!**

"Oh, no…" I groaned, fully aware of what was happening next.

**TBC**

**Yes, I did put some For Lover's Only and Dr. Horrible allusions in this chapter. But hey, those are both great(but VASTLY different) pieces of cinema, and they should be recognized. Oh, and some Star Trek. Very necessary.**

**Hey, so there is this pretty button right beneath where I am typing, and I would love you forever if you would click it and tell me what you thought of the chapter. Just sayin…. :)**

**I will update ASAP!**

**~ Nikki**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"That's new."

I looked over at Castle, who was staring at the screen, intrigued beyond belief.

"Really? That's all you can say?" I said skeptically, leaning on the arm of his chair. The proximity to him was intoxicating, but I kept myself in check.

He shrugged, and our arms brushed on the arm as he set his back down on the arm rest. I quickly retracted my arm and stood up straight. I took another step closer to the desk, staring at the screen. "I've never seen that happen before on this game. I did not even know that was possible!"

Twins. Not two Castles to deal with, but three. Oh Jeez.

I groaned and sat back down on the desk, with my head turned to keep an eye on the screen. The blue action window with the baby toys still floated there. Taunting me, it seemed.

"So…" Castle began. "Boy or girl?" He asked, after a beat.

"Boy. " I responded automatically, and then swore internally. I was too interested in this freaking game, and I had only been watching him play it for a little over an hour. He just smirked, while I tried to calm down my racing heart.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the bubble was gone from the screen, so I quickly turned back and hopped off the desk to get a better view. 'Kate' spun clutching her stomach once again, glitter and sparkles surrounding her. With a sudden crescendo of music, the second baby came into her hands as she faced the front once more.

"Awwww…" Castle cooed.

Just like she did with the first, she held the tiny newborn up high in the air, smiling at it adoringly as the baby reached down towards her and it's high voice came out as cute baby fussing. Because I had expected the awkward and easy birth, it really hit me how touching and precious it was. I looked closer at the virtual baby and my heart was moved.

The baby (hopefully a boy) had beautiful ocean blue eyes, just like Rick. My gaze softened as I involuntarily leaned against the chair again.

I know it is wrong of a mother to choose favorites, but- HOLD THE PHONE, did I really just think that?

_Shut up, motherly hormones! This isn't real!_

As I was spazzing out on the inside, the scene stopped with 'Kate' holding the mini-Castle on her hip. The naming bubble came up again, and "baby boy" was once again blinking in the script box.

Rick's voice woke me out of my trance. "You were right," Castle's brow raised and he looked at me suspiciously. I simply shook my head while rolling my eyes. I had kind of forgotten he was there during my maternal moment, but he didn't need to know that.

I watched the screen and was again captivated by the newborn's beautiful eyes. Yes, I knew it was not real, I wasn't dumb, but he was still visually appealing like a baby. Those blue eyes, so piercing and alert like the handsome man sitting in the chair in front of me. My eyes drifted involuntarily to Castle's, which met mine as he seemed to be thinking about a name. It was so easy to get lost in those eyes.

A shiver ran down my spine. "So, what should his name be?" I asked.

"What did you have in mind?" The writer asked, never breaking eye contact with me. I looked back at the screen, and then back to Castle, smiling.

"Alexander." We said in unison. Rick smiled and we chuckled softly.

"Perfect." He whispered, and he turned back to the laptop and his fingers stroke the keys with precision and speed. He had recovered from our 'moment' quite well, but I was still trying to tame my heart rate.

Naming children? What were we going to do next, pick colleges and make trust funds for them?

But by the obscene amount of money in the corner of the screen, over ten million dollars, making two trust funds wouldn't be a problem for the "Castle Family". They could also go to five different colleges at the same time.

"How on earth did they get so much money?" I changed the subject as it accepted 'Alexander Castle' as a new member of the family and the scene began to play again.

He froze, and bit his lip. Castle slowly looked at me, smiling mischievously.

Oh, Rick, you sneaky devil. "You cheated, didn't you?"

He laughed and pressed three buttons at the same time, too fast for me to register what they were. All of a sudden, another blue script box appeared across the top of the whole screen, with a white blinking cursor.

"Watch this."

He typed,

**familyfunds Castle 99,000,000|**

"Watch the amount in the corner." And then he hit the return key with a flourish.

My eyes were locked on the corner. All of a sudden the 10 million turned into 99 million, what he had entered.

"Whoa." A smile broke across my face as I hopped off the desk.

He turned and looked at me, his arms folded and proud of his work. "I know, right?"

"I wish that could really happen." I giggled, watching 'Kate' and 'Rick' holding the adorable twin boys.

"Yeah, me too."

Oh God.

By his tone, he had clearly thought what I said had a double meaning. Of course Castle would assume it was about 'Kate's'… predicament and current relationship. I looked back at him, and his eyes shimmered with hope.

"I… I mean…uh." I tried to form a coherent and sophisticated, but all that came out was blabbered syllables and sounds.

I saw his face fall slightly. He interrupted me, chuckling weakly. "It's okay. Don't freak out, Kate. I knew what you meant."He smiled politely. Not the special crinkly smile he had been using before I had ruined everything.

Shit. Had I just ruined the progress we had made in the past couple hours with my stupid stuttering and instant denying? Ugh. Well, did I even know what I meant? I thought I meant the easy money, but did I really mean something else? Like, all of it? Was my mind playing tricks on me? Did I want that life?

My inner musings were interrupted by Castle clearing his throat.

"Well, anyway. I guess we have to redesign the room, huh?" He announced, entering the design tab on the game, focusing all his attention on the screen.

Something inside of me at that moment snapped like a stretched rubber band. This was it. I was tired with dancing around it. I couldn't handle the lies anymore. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears and betraying tears were pricking the backs of my eyes, but I pressed on.

"Rick…" I whispered.

As expected at the use of his first name, he turned with a look of shock and concern.

"What is it?"

I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth and my stomach twisted in knots, making it hard to breathe.

"Rick, I haven't been completely truthful with you."

His brow furrowed as his eyes locked with mine, searching for the truth.

_Fast. Like a Band-Aid._

"Castle, I heard you." I uttered on an exhale.

**TBC**

**A/N: Yes, I know. I'm an ass. I didn't update for a month. I don't really have a solid excuse, besides AP classes and my muse taking leave. But, I think I lassoed her back. So, yeah. I hope you all aren't mad at me. **

**~Nikki**


	7. Chapter 7: Finale

**Well, it took me FOREVER… but I finally updated. If you are too angry at me for being a bitch and not continuing soon like I promised, you don't have to finish it. But, if you are intrigued as to how I finished this thing, please read away!**

**This is the first multi-chapter I have REALLY finished. And I am happy with how it turned out, and how much great reception it got. I am eternally grateful for the reviews and alerts and favorites this story received. You inspired me, and I love you all.**

**So, like I said, this is the end. Don't worry, it's a good ending. It's a humor story, remember? **

**DISCLAIMER #1: The amazing TV show Castle belongs to Andrew W Marlowe, not little ol' me. **

**DISCLAIMER #2: I dropped an f-bomb in this chapter. But hey, PG-13 movies get to do it once too! So if it offends anybody, I apologize.**

**Okay, on with the story…**

Chapter 7: Finale

"_Castle, I heard you," I uttered on an exhale._

"What?" He asked after a moment, not seeming to grasp what I was saying.

I was still shaking from finally admitting to it that I could not talk in full sentences.

"The funeral… when I was… um..." Any chance of handling this eloquently went out the window with my blabbering. When he finally understood what I was referring to, his eyes widened. A myriad of expressions blazoned across his face.

Confusion. Pain. Anger. Contempt. Betrayal.

As he took the news, I just sat there avoiding his eyes and rubbing my hands together nervously.

"Wait, let me get this straight,"

The tone of his voice shook me to my core. It felt oddly familiar, and it reminded me of the verbal sparring before the hangar, before the funeral, when I told him we were over. It scared the hell out of me.

"You knew the whole time?" His eyes were enflamed with rage and embarrassment. I just nodded weakly, and braced myself for the onslaught I had brought upon myself when I decided to lie in the first place.

"You let me go an entire _fucking_ summer without any calls or messages of any kind when you KNEW how I felt?" He had risen from the desk chair now, and towered over me. His red eyes revealed that he was on the brink of tears.

Feeling backed into a corner, I yelled back at him, "Castle, I was scared!" I was barely noticing the tears running down my cheeks.

"At first, I was still with Josh, and I couldn't deal with telling you that day at the hospital. By the time I pulled my head out of my ass and broke up with him, I thought I was too late! I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same after I treated you so terribly when I woke up and didn't call you, so-"

"Hold on…" He interjected into my blubbering rant. His voice was still firm and angry, but was rapidly growing softer.

"What were you going to tell me?" He asked, coming towards me and grabbing my forearms. The hope from before, though muddied with anger, was again present in his eyes.

The warmth of his hands on my skin made my knees weak, as I tried to concentrate on his question. A light blush was forming on my face.

"Castle, I…" I started on a whisper, looking away from his piercing gaze.

"Kate?" I looked up to meet his eyes hopeful and eager. I just wanted to grab him and kiss the uncertain smirk off of his race.

"Rick." I paused again, as the words fought their way up my throat. Hot wet tears were running down my face with no reservations, and Rick reached his thumb out to stop one from reaching my jaw.

"I love you, too." I finished on a sob.

Rick seemed to let go of a breath he was holding in, and pulled me into his embrace. My shaking hands grabbed onto the back of his shirt, and I held him to me in a vice grip.

But, my stupid mouth had to stay open. "But, I am wrong for you, Castle! I will… never d-deserve you, and y-you have every right to hate me!" I released on more choked sobs as I pushed him away like he was poisonous.

"What?" Castle half-shouted. He grabbed my forearms for the second time and held the firmly. His eyes were glassy with tears as he pressed his forehead against mine.

As the aftershock of my sobbing episode sent shivers up my body, he continued, but had lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "Kate, you know how much I love you. And though it may take me awhile to forgive you for lying, I could never _ever_ hate you. Okay?"

Nodding, I sniffled and wrapped my arms around his waist, the soft heat of his body calming me as much as his words.

"You are so wrong. Kate, you deserve the world."

His lips came forward and found mine, and I responded immediately. He tasted sweet and musky. This time there were no distractions, no detectives needing to be rescued, and no security guard to knock out. Just us.

My arms came up and I wrapped them around his neck, and his hands rested chastely on my hips. I poured everything into that kiss, all my love and hope for the future we could have together.

We broke apart for air, panting and leaning against each other. "Wow," Rick whispered. I giggled in response.

"Giggle? Since when does Katherine Beckett giggle? I must be THAT good!" Rick laughed as he kept his hold on my hips.

"Oh, shut up." I lightly hit his cheek with my hand, and leaned my head against his chest, content in his arms.

He pulled me even closer, if that was even possible. The world fell away and all I could think about were his strong arms around me like a fortress, like a… castle.

"Am I dreaming?" I heard him whisper above me, feeling him rest his chin on the top of my head. I loved the height he had over me when I didn't wear heels. I pinched his arm, and he flinched.

"Nope."

We both laughed and reluctantly pulled apart from each other. But we didn't break contact when he slid his hand into mine.

"Kate?" He started timidly, bringing my hand up to his mouth and pressing a light kiss against my palm.

"Yeah?" I responded breathlessly, amazed at how he could render me almost speechless with one innocent kiss.

"The wall?" He looked nervous, and braced himself as soon as he said it, as though I was going to strike him for bringing it up.

I let out a shaky exhale. "The wall was crap, Castle. I know…" Paused for a moment. "I know I will never be at peace until that case is solved and put to rest, and the person who shot me is caught. But, it doesn't mean I have to suffer in the mean time. It doesn't mean you have to suffer."

He drew cirles on my arm as I was talking. It amazed me how simple a touch could make me feel so calm.

"Kate, I would have waited. I wasn't suffering."

I snorted. "Bullshit, Castle. You don't have to put on a brave face. I know what pain you were in. I felt it too." Even though he looked away and shook his head, I knew he knew I was right.

"You're as masochistic as Edward…" I smirked, trying to cut through the intense drama of the conversation.

It worked. He gave me an incredulous look, and I knew he was fighting a smile. "How dare you compare me to that sparkly freak?"

And for the first time in a long time, I threw my head back and laughed without reserve. Rick joined in, and we hung onto each other as we tried to keep from rolling on the floor.

That laugh meant more to me than anything. Not only did it prove that we have the same (good) taste in literature, but that nothing had changed. Even though everything had changed about our relationship, we were the same There was no awkwardness, just comfort, love, and humor. This was meant to be.

As we wiped tears of laughter from our eyes, we separated for good. Rick sat back in the chair and I leaned against the desk, like how we were before that whole fiasco.

"Oh, wow. I haven't laughed like that in a long time." I braced my hands against the desk.

"Yeah, me neither." He said, eyes closed and his head leaning on the back of the chair. Suddenly, the computer caught my attention again.

"Oh, hey! We never redesigned the nursery!" I exclaimed and hopped off the desk.

"Right, yes!" The desk chair glided back toward the computer as Castle reached for the mouse. "We got a little distracted," He said as he waggled his eyebrows. I giggled yet again, and the blush returned.

"Hey." Rick turned to me with a cheeky grin.

"What?" I asked, my hands on the arm rest of his chair.

"I love you."

My grin threatened to split my face in two.

"I love you too, goofball." I leaned to give him a peck on the lips, but he grabbed the back of my head and gave me a proper kiss. A breathy moan escaped my throat, but I pulled back.

"Hey! No more distractions! Alex needs a place to sleep."

He cocked an eyebrow. "But they don't even sleep, remember?"

"Doesn't matter. It looks weird with only one crib. What will the neighbors say? Someone might think we're _poor_." I gasped and covered my mouth in mock disbelief.

I knew he caught how I said 'we're' and not 'they're', and I saw his eyes twinkle before they were glazed over in mock seriousness.

"Well, we can't have that!" He busily set to work finishing the room, as I stood behind the chair with my hands on his strong shoulders.

We both knew we had to talk more about this. He himself said that he hadn't fully forgiven me for what I'd done. But, for now, we were content on finishing the stupid game.

I looked in the corner of the screen and laughed in his ear. "Look! You only have 24 days left!"

He groaned at the little number. "24 days of youth left. Then I'll be a cranky old man."

I ran my hands through his hair, reveling in its softness. I felt his subtle lean into my touch, and what sounded like purring coming from his throat. I pondered on what his hair would look like, when it would turn grey or white.

"I think he'll still look sexy with grey hair." I whispered into his ear, seductively.

"Did you just call me sexy?" He grinned and turned his head to look at me in the eyes. Our lips were a fraction of an inch apart.

"No. I said 'he'." I smiled mischievously.

"Oh, you little minx!" He placed his hand against my cheek and closed the gap between our lips. Instead of deepening the kiss he placed feather light pecks against my lips. God, I could kiss him all day if I could.

Before I got carried away, Rick pulled back and released my cheek. Smirking and turning back to the computer he said, "No more distractions, woman! The child needs a bed!"

"I will be nice and let that 'woman' comment slide just once. But, use it again, and prepare to get your ass kicked." I whispered, grabbing his ear.

I could feel him gulp as he responded. "Duly noted."

I chuckled behind him as he placed a second crib in the nursery for 'Alex'. I looked over and saw 'Kate' holding the infant securely in her arms, while 'Rick' held his brother.

My hand went down to my flat abdomen and I smiled. Perhaps, one day, I could look as proud as 'Kate' did, holding the being create by her and the man she loved beyond reason.

_Just, not two of them. Please._

**FIN**

**So there it is. Thank you to those who have followed this story since the first chapter. If I could send you all a gift basket, I would. Please write me a review! I would love to hear what you thought of the finale. **

**Goodbye for now!**

**~Nikki**


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